1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to reversible garments and, more particularly, to a reversible undergarment having alternate aesthetic faces, in combination with a closure means that accommodates such dual use.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mary Phelps Jacob first invented a brassiere to replace a corset when she desired to wear a sheer evening gown to a social event. Her brassiere was patented in 1914, but it's design flattened a woman's chest. Bra technology advanced over the last century to lift, to position, to point and to mainly support breasts. Besides providing the foregoing utility, the bra is designed to be a fashion garment in and of itself or to compliment fashion attire worn over it. A plurality of bras are designed in forms of seamless, balconette, gels, padded, push-ups, water, etc. The average woman owns six bras of varying designs, but almost every woman owns at least a white one.
Bras can cost over $50 a piece because of a complexity of their designs. They fall apart easily in a wash, so a woman might wear a same bra four or five times before washing it. It is therefore undesirable for a person to purchase a bra specific to just one garment, s.a., e.g., a sheer blouse that is seldom worn. It is similarly undesirable for a woman to carry multiple bras when she anticipates a change of clothes in a course of a day. That woman requires a different bra if she changes into opaque fabrics. Bras are worn to support silhouettes, but they are worn distastefully when they mismatch opaque blouses. It is therefore desirable to teach a reversible bra having varied colors and designs on reverse sides. The bra is capable of supporting from either side; it is reversed to accommodate a desired outer attire.
A search of prior art reveals no patents that read directly on claims in the present invention; however, the following references are considered related:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,326, issued in the name of Williams, discloses a reversible mastectomy brassiere which may be worn soon after surgery is disclosed with the primary purpose of this brassiere concept being to provide a mastectomy brassiere which may position a prosthesis on the left breast, or when said brassiere is completely reversed, to position a prosthesis on the right breast of the mastectomy patient. This design further includes front fasteners which function equally well irrespective of the side on which the brassiere is worn. The brassiere will provide adequate coverage for the patient soon after surgery, without the necessity of an expensive and time consuming special fitting. The second important aspect of this design is its continuous unbroken and smooth appearance when worn because the brassiere configuration and all outer edges have no apparent sewing or standard finishing of any kind on the outer surface of the brassiere. This design blends smoothly with the body's contour and gives visual reassurance and psychological relief to the patient recovering from the trauma of surgery.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,286, issued in the name of Wolfson, discloses a brassiere in which each of the breast cups thereof includes inner and outer layers of material between which is defined an interior pocket. The pocket of each cup contains a stiffening means, preferably in the form of a generally U-shaped fabric enclosed underbust wire stay. Preferably, such stiffening means are secured for a major portion of their length to lower edge portions of the inner and outer layers of the breast cups which edge portions extend into the afore described pockets whereby each stiffening means is free to float with respect to the major surface area of the inner and outer layers of each breast cup. Minor portions of the lengths of each stiffening means are loosely joined to one another (through a fabric joining member) but are free to float within a passageway joining the interior pocket of each breast cup. In this manner, the brassiere of the invention is free to accommodate itself to the size and shape of the bust of the wearer rather than restraining the bust in the manner of a conventional wire bra. A horizontally seamed breast cup construction which eliminates the vertical center section of a typical wire bra further permits the bra of the invention to adopt itself to a woman's bust and provide in a wire bra the newer, soft, unaccentuated look.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,238,081, issued in the name of Fildan et al., discloses a reversible adjustable shoulder strap which can be used with high versatility in a variety of strap patterns, for a brassiere, has a strip formed with injection mold male and female closure members which can mate with one another and are identical on either side of the strip.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,242, issued in the name of Fildan et al., discloses a reversible press button closure for shoulder straps of brassieres or back band connectors has soft attachment pieces secured to the garment and connected by pins and lugs with male and female ring members which are molded from a harder plastic and define the press button assembly. The male and female members match in appearance when they are interconnected so that the connector has the same appearance from both sides.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,001,240, issued in the name of Huffman-Jimenez, discloses a brassiere for use by women having asymmetrical breasts which are not comfortably or properly received in and/or supported by the symmetrical breast cups as provided in the usual brassiere. The brassiere comprises a garment having a unitary body section which encircles the midriff of a woman with asymmetrical breasts, a closure for adjusting the body section of the brassiere to fit the midriff of the woman, and a pair of asymmetrical breast cups carried by the body section, the body section positioning the cups to comfortably and properly receive and support the woman's asymmetrical breasts. The brassiere may be turned inside-out to reverse orientation of the cups.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,863,589, issued in the name of Cano, discloses a tube brassiere that is formed from a circularly knitted garment blank. The blank has an internal dimension, a length, and a pair of breast cup defined therein. The length of the blank encircles a torso of a wearer.
Further, other unpatented designs are known to be commercially available. The Very Sexy® Secret Embrace™ reversible flip bra sold at Victoria's Secret is a demi-shaped, seamless, stitch free, under wire bra that can be worn on both sides to showcase a solid or a print. And, the Sealbeauty reversible flip bra manufactured by Guangzhou Huar Garment Company in China is a seamless, enclosed foam, under wire, double-sided wearable bra;
The present invention is a reversible bra having different prints on reverse sides that both can be worn. The present invention is distinct over the references because it teaches a novel clasp, wherein traditionally exposed, portions of a clasp are covered by a strap for a reverse clasp on the reverse side.